For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it - Ivan Panin
The clouds above us join and separate, The breeze in the courtyard leaves and returns; Life is like that, so why not relax? Who can stop us from celebrating? (Lu You 1125-1210)
Music, when soft voices die, Vibrates in the memory; Odours, when sweet violets sicken, Live within the sense they quicken.
Rose leaves, when the rose is dead, Are heaped for the beloved’s bed; And so thy thoughts, when thou are gone, Love itself shall slumber on. (Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822)
Finally, someone has put together this slide show of 44 paintings by a number of 19th century artistes. The whole thing lasts 6 minutes and 44 seconds, but it's well worth watching.
All the breath and bloom of the year in the bag of one bee; All the wonder and wealth of the mine in the heart of one gem; In the core of one pearl all the shade and the shine of the sea; Breath and bloom, shade and shine - Wonder, wealth and - how far above them - Truth, that’s brighter than gem, Trust, that’s purer than pearl - Brightest truth, purest trust in the universe All were for me in the kiss of one girl. (Robert Browning 1812-1889)
"Madame Moitessier" by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Something to think about -
ONCE UPON A TIME a traveller was journeying across the desert when he met two strange men. As they were all going roughly in the same direction, they chatted as they walked.
The men told the traveller that their names were Fear and Plague and they were going to a big city where they intended to kill 20,000 of the inhabitants.
Shocked, the man asked Plague if he would do all the work.
Plague shook his head, “No, I’ll kill only a few hundred. My friend Fear will do the rest.”
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d, And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest, Nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest, So long as men can breathe or eyes can see So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. (William Shakespeare 1564-1616)
For a good few years now I have been interested in haiku and have enjoyed composing them. Many books have been written explaining what the haiku is, but the simplest definition would be a 17 syllable poem of three non-rhyming lines, the distribution of the syllables being 5/7/5. Using as few words as possible, it encapsulates a moment in time.
Those three haiku of mine are not connected - I wrote them at different times.
searching for the moon - there it is, hiding behind the old sycamore
midnight on the shore - among the rocks a silver moon in every pool
calm spring night, a stone thrown in the pond shatters the silence - and the moon
This poem "New Moon" written by Tu Fu (712-770) was translated by Kenneth Rexroth and is found in the anthology "One Hundred Poems from the Chinese"
The bright thin new moon appears, Tipped askew in the heavens. It no sooner shines over The ruined fortress than the Evening clouds overwhelm it. The Milky Way shines unchanging Over the freezing mountains Of the border. White frost covers The garden. The chrysanthemums Clot and freeze in the night.
Moonlight becomes you, it goes with your hair, You certainly know the right thing to wear; Moonlight becomes you, I'm thrilled at the sight And I could get so romantic tonight.
You're all dressed up to go dreaming, Now don't tell me I'm wrong, And what a night to go dreaming, Mind if I tag along?
If I say “I love you” I want you to know It's not just because there's moonlight, although - Moonlight becomes you so. (song lyrics by Johnny Burke)
Silence is deep as Eternity, speech is as shallow as Time. (Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. (William Blake 1757-1827)
Pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies, Let them live upon their praises; Long as there’s a sun that sets, Primroses will have their glory; Long as there are violets, They will have a place in story; There’s a flower that shall be mine, ‘Tis the little Celandine. (William Wordsworth 1770-1850)
Continuing the theme of music, the following lines by W.G. Rothery are very often sung to a melody by Handel -
Art thou troubled? Music will calm thee, Art thou weary? Rest shall be thine, Rest shall be thine.
Music, source of all gladness, Heals thy sadness At her shrine, Music, music, ever divine. Music, music calleth With voice divine.
When the welcome spring is smiling, All the earth with flow'rs beguiling, After winter's dreary reign, Sweetest music doth attend her, Heav'nly harmonies doth lend her, Chanting praises in her train, Chanting praises in her train.
Finally, this piece of music used to be a favourite with youngsters learning the piano. It was known as the “Celebrated Minuet by Boccherini.” The accompanying paintings and drawings are all from the 18th century.
Here, in this sequestered close, Bloom the hyacinth and rose; Here beside the modest stock Flaunts the flaring hollyhock; Here, without a pang, one sees Ranks, conditions, and degrees.
All the seasons run their race In this quiet resting place; Peach, and apricot, and fig Here will ripen and grow big Here is store and overplus, - More had not Alcinous! *
Here, in alleys cool and green, Far ahead the thrush is seen; Here along the southern wall Keeps the bee his festival; All is quiet else - afar Sounds of toil and turmoil are.
Here be shadows large and long; Here be spaces meet for song; Grant, O garden-god, that I, Now that mood and moment please, - Find the fair Pierides! **
* In Greek mythology Alcinous was a very wealthy ruler of the island Scheria. He features in the story of Jason and the Argonauts.
** The Pierides were the nine daughters of the King of Emathia. They challenged the Muses to a song contest. The Muses won and changed the girls into magpies. Confusingly, the Muses themselves are also known as the Pierides.
This is a photograph of Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy lived from 1799 till 1808.
The house is a great tourist attraction, and Jean and I visited it on one of our Lake District Holidays.
Originally an inn called the Dove and Onion, it’s thought that it was probably built in the early part of the 17th century. It was while they lived at Dove Cottage that William produced his finest works.
This poem "Dove Cottage Garden" he wrote just before he and Dorothy were leaving home for a few months.
Sweet Garden-orchard! of all spots that are The loveliest surely man hath ever found. Farewell! we leave thee to heaven's peaceful care. Thee and the cottage which thou dost surround ...
Dear Spot! whom we have watched with tender heed, Bringing thee chosen plants and blossoms blown Among the distant mountains, flower and weed Which thou hast taken to thee as thy own ...
O happy Garden! loved for hours of sleep, O quiet Garden! loved for waking hours. For soft half-slumbers that did gently steep Our spirits, carrying with them dreams of flowers ...
Live more and more in the present, which is ever beautiful and stretches away before and beyond the limits of the past and the future. (Meher Baba 1894-1969)
